If you have not found a technology maven in this day and age....you are in serious trouble. As a thirty something trying to keep up with a business, social and technology landscape that changes in the blink of an eye, I have found it invaluable to be plugged into someone tech savvy that is in the know. I don't care what you do for a living or whether or not you are on Facebook...at the end of the day...our global and interconnected world is driven and often dictated by the ubiquitous nature of technology. Regardless of how you feel about applications like Facebook (and the fact that a 24 year old drives the most traffic on the planet), LinkedIn, Twitter etc. these are now global brands and applications with far reaching implications beyond networking and marketing businesses. They are shaping the way people interact socially and they are here to stay regardless of ones personal opinion. Which begets the point that if you are not up to speed on how to leverage them...you will quickly become a relic.
I recently read Macolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and he quite eloquently articulated the power of social epidemics and the players that cause these epidemics to tip i.e. salespeople, mavens and connectors. The phenomenon of social media through the use of Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter has turned your average individual into a potential connector. Salespeople...to me...either have the requisite personality, skills and abilities to be effect persuaders or they learn (with a great deal of effort), but the maven...the maven is a special breed. Maven's have content knowledge and expertise to a depth that others can only longingly aspire to. Interestingly enough technology mavens are integral not only to the success of your business but in helping you navigate the waters of identifying useful websites, online tools and applications that can enhance your quality of life. I highly recommend your linking up with Nick O'Neil of http://www.socialtimes.com/ and http://www.allfacebook.com/. He is one of my mavens and he is a goldmine in his space. He is one of the two major bloggers detailing the growing pains and best ways to use Facebook especially for business and because of that fact he has a direct line to the higher ups at Facebook. Don't be turned off by the fact that some of the content is technology heavy....there are nuggets on these sites...even for technophobes.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Crowdsourcing ideas, talent or just about anything...
I like to think of myself as an individual who is hip and "in the know" as it were about the goings on in the world of business and technology. After all, I check cnn.com every morning and read the business section. I peruse wsj and socialtimes.com. I have a host of technology mavens (more on that in another post) that I refer to constantly for information on how to leverage technology, but until recently I was completely in the dark about how technology is completely changing the way source...everything really. I have a couple of specific examples for you.
1. I had coffee a few weeks back with Ted Williams, the Founder, of http://www.groupereye.com/. Check out his interview with the folks from The Social Times: http://www.socialtimes.com/2009/02/groupereye/. Let me start by saying that this young man is not only intelligent but he is passionate about his vision of completely redefining the transition from college to work. We all know that this transition is awful. Companies spend millions of dollars on recruiting and training often times with less than stellar results because they have not identified a potential hire who is a good fit. Ahh...here is where groupereye comes in. Groupereye allows companies to post business problems and students looking for internship or full time entry level employment opportunities present potential solutions. The best proposed solution is selected by the company and dubbed the winner and the student receives a cash prize as well as an opportunity, potentially to intern or be interviewed for a full time position. In a word "brilliant." Companies get to crowdsource multiple proposed solutions to their business problems, as well as pre-screen potential interns or employees. Students get the opportunity to network, hone their analytical skills and if they win put some spending money in their pockets. If you are looking for an intern or an entry level employee, I highly recommend checking out the site. You never know who is in the crowd.
2. I was looking to develop a logo and I faced the dilemma of working with an individual or design team to complete the project for me. Some of my concerns going in to the project of course were a) cost b) cost and c) groupthink or individual creative limitations if only one person. If I go to an individual or even a team working for the same firm, as soon as one idea hits the whiteboard/computer screen/napkin, I have just lost a great deal of the creative energy of the individual or the group of individuals because they are either limited to their own imagination or the preconceived notions (actually conceived notions) of the group, now that we a couple of thoughts have been visualized. Solution: You guested it...crowdsourcing. Sites like http://www.crowdspring.com/ and http://www.geniusrocket.com/ allow you to crowdsource for creatives to develop everything from logos to entire websites. Check out this interview with the founders of crowdspring: http://savetimeoutsource.com/2009/03/21/crowdspringcom-interview-co-founders-ross-kimbarovsky-and-mike-samson/
These are....I am sure...just the tip of the iceberg...or to be more succinct the 30% of the iceberg that is visible to me as a technologically challenged individual but be on the lookout. This trend is only gaining steam.
1. I had coffee a few weeks back with Ted Williams, the Founder, of http://www.groupereye.com/. Check out his interview with the folks from The Social Times: http://www.socialtimes.com/2009/02/groupereye/. Let me start by saying that this young man is not only intelligent but he is passionate about his vision of completely redefining the transition from college to work. We all know that this transition is awful. Companies spend millions of dollars on recruiting and training often times with less than stellar results because they have not identified a potential hire who is a good fit. Ahh...here is where groupereye comes in. Groupereye allows companies to post business problems and students looking for internship or full time entry level employment opportunities present potential solutions. The best proposed solution is selected by the company and dubbed the winner and the student receives a cash prize as well as an opportunity, potentially to intern or be interviewed for a full time position. In a word "brilliant." Companies get to crowdsource multiple proposed solutions to their business problems, as well as pre-screen potential interns or employees. Students get the opportunity to network, hone their analytical skills and if they win put some spending money in their pockets. If you are looking for an intern or an entry level employee, I highly recommend checking out the site. You never know who is in the crowd.
2. I was looking to develop a logo and I faced the dilemma of working with an individual or design team to complete the project for me. Some of my concerns going in to the project of course were a) cost b) cost and c) groupthink or individual creative limitations if only one person. If I go to an individual or even a team working for the same firm, as soon as one idea hits the whiteboard/computer screen/napkin, I have just lost a great deal of the creative energy of the individual or the group of individuals because they are either limited to their own imagination or the preconceived notions (actually conceived notions) of the group, now that we a couple of thoughts have been visualized. Solution: You guested it...crowdsourcing. Sites like http://www.crowdspring.com/ and http://www.geniusrocket.com/ allow you to crowdsource for creatives to develop everything from logos to entire websites. Check out this interview with the founders of crowdspring: http://savetimeoutsource.com/2009/03/21/crowdspringcom-interview-co-founders-ross-kimbarovsky-and-mike-samson/
These are....I am sure...just the tip of the iceberg...or to be more succinct the 30% of the iceberg that is visible to me as a technologically challenged individual but be on the lookout. This trend is only gaining steam.
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